You're Better Than Gold
by 3Em4
Summary: Almost AU Paily. Emily and Paige are both competing at the Olympics, but somehow winning each others heart becomes more important than winning a medal.
1. Chapter 1

**From the majority of reviews I got last week, I decided to restart this and slow it down. I said it was just a rough idea that I wanted to get out asap, and now the real work shall begin. Let me know what you think! **

_**Emily, who's now an Olympic swimmer, **_**doesn't **_**know Paige yet. Set once season 2 ended with Mona as A and it's now a few years later. Other changes have been made; I'll let you figure those out for yourself.**_

"I can't believe you're leaving us for a week" Hanna whined from the back seat of Spencer's car. "I can't cope without you, you've seen how I live when you're not around, I'm a total mess!"

"But Aria's staying over while Ezra's out of town, right?" Emily asked

"Yeah, but she's sad because I'm only staying till Wednesday. Ezra's asked me to meet him at his brother's house in Scranton and then we're going on a road trip. Hanna just doesn't want to be lonely" said Aria.

"Jeez Hanna, get over it. I haven't had anyone come to visit me at Princeton yet, so why don't you just come stay in my dorm for a little while?" Spencer asked, slightly annoyed that Hanna was reluctant to be alone, even though A was long gone.

"Ew, a college dorm? No thanks" Spencer groaned in reply, too tired to argue. She'd driven up from New Jersey earlier that day, having promised she would be there to drop Emily off at the airport. What Spencer didn't know at the time is that Emily's flight wasn't from Philadelphia, but from D.C., so she'd agreed to drive all the way down, since it meant Hanna wouldn't moan about leg room in her 4x4 Mercedes.

"You're kind of insufferable, Han" Aria sighed. "Spencer, if I have to escape before Wednesday, will you be around?"

"It's actually Reading Week, so I'm going to be pretty busy studying, but you could help me get a head start on moving to my summer apartment if you like?" Spencer suggested.

"Can _I _as well?" Hanna asked, sounding slightly apprehensive since she thought she'd insulted Spencer with her previous comment.

"Oh, I guess now that it's not in a dorm then it's fine to come visit me. Wow guys, is this why none of you went to university? Anyway Han, I thought you'd got a job"

"Yeah, but I took this week off thinking Emily and I could do something, since she'd already told me her coach gave her a break. She only told me she was going away, like, a week ago"

"That's because I only decided to go a week ago. Do you listen to anything I say?" Emily laughed, turning to face Hanna from the front seat. "I promise I'll call you everyday" Emily said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Someone really needs to get that girl a new boyfriend" Spencer muttered.

"Shut it, Spence. You haven't had a boyfriend for at least a year, so no one can trust your judgement anymore" Hanna sniped.

"That's because while you've been out drinking, and flirting with any and every moving object, I've been studying and taking tests. Now please will you stop? I find it hard to drive when I want to hit you." Spencer briefly glanced back to shoot Hanna a glare that told her to shut up, and then turned her attention to Emily.

"So how come your coach is letting you have a week off so close to the team selection? Surely he'd want you to be trying to beat your personal bests and keep up with training"

"He can see that I'm stressing myself out even though I'm pretty much guaranteed a place in the squad. I've already injured my shoulder a little bit, so he's found me a great physical therapist that I can go to while I'm checking out the competition in London" Emily explained

"Make sure the competition doesn't see you checking them out" Hanna joked "Although..." she thought "That could be a massive mind-fuck for them, if one of their rivals is completely in love with them, it might throw them off" She announced as though she'd had a break through.

"Hanna, I am not going to fall in love with any Olympians." Emily assured her. "I'm only just over Maya, so can you leave it?"

"Sorry, Em" Hanna said sincerely. She knew she'd hit a nerve so she placed a hand on Emily's shoulder for a moment, but felt Emily tense under her touch "oh god, was that the injured one? I hope I haven't ruined your chances"

"It's fine, it's just a little tender" Emily sighed.

The rest of the trip to the airport was fairly quiet, each of the girls asked Emily to bring something back from England. Spencer asked for her favourite tea, which her parents have to bulk buy whenever they visit the Hastings' side of the family in Buckinghamshire. Aria asked for some kind of London-themed souvenir, and Hanna asked for British chocolate, as much as customs would allow. Emily made a mental note and asked Spencer about the exams she had coming up. For the second half of their journey Hanna and Aria were asleep, which was something that Spencer noticed happened a lot on long rides in her car. She wished for once someone else would drive and she could sleep in the back, but that would mean someone taking control of her car, and she definitely didn't like the sound of that.

Once Emily had checked in each of the girls took their turn hugging her goodbye. It was only a week, but a couple of thousand miles and 5 hours difference is a big distance. After what seemed like a life-time supply of hugs, Emily made her way through security and sat in the departure lounge. It was fairly quiet for a Saturday evening, which she hoped meant her plane would be quiet enough to have a couple of seats to stretch out on. She pulled a book from her carry-on bag and began to read, trying her best to keep an eye on the time so she could board as soon as she was allowed. Soon she became restless and decided to buy a drink and a donut, since she wasn't a huge fan of airplane food. She'd also been warned about the products they don't sell in England; this would be the last time she'd see real Gatorade and Dunkin' Donuts for a week. Once she'd bought her food and an extra magazine for the journey, her flight seemed to quickly approach. She sent one last text to her mom saying "About to board. See you next week! Don't forget, 5 hours difference xo". She then gathered her things, pulled her passport and boarding pass from her bag, and made her way onto the plane.

Emily had been right about the airport being quiet. She had a whole isle to herself, so she made a mental note to stretch across the middle 4 seats once the fasten seatbelt sign was disabled so she could sleep. She chose to do what her mother used to distract her with whenever she was scared about takeoff: wave goodbye to the people still on the ground. To some, watching the Earth gradually leave you would be a daunting prospect, but it was something Emily had grown up doing and she didn't care if one of the few people on the plane saw her.

Once she'd changed to the middle seats, she fell asleep almost instantly. She occasionally woke when air hostesses walked past her with drinks and snacks, but slept fairly soundly across the Atlantic.

_**Please bear with me while I try and get this going. I know I went way too fast with the original chapter, so I'm trying really hard to get detail in and make sure you understand what's going on. Sorry if anyone really loved the original chapter, but as I said, it was just a rough idea!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I don't know if the people who were following from the beginning would have seen the update for chapter 1, so if not then check it out now, before you begin chapter 2!**_

When Emily arrived in London on Sunday morning, she finally felt herself relax. She was away from all the stress of training and ghosts of girlfriends' past. She had a whole week to herself in a five star hotel. She couldn't ask for anything better, other than some nice weather.

She made her way through boarder control and the busy arrivals lounge fairly quickly. While she waited to get her luggage from the carousel she almost rang her mom, then remembered the 5 hour time difference and instead set herself a reminder to call at one pm. Once she'd retrieved her suitcase she went to the rent-a-car counter where she was led to the vehicle she would be using. It took a few minutes for Emily to get ready to drive, after only seven hours sleep or so, and a different side of the road to get used to, this was bound to be one of those experiences she'd like to forget. She slowly exited the airport's car park and found it wasn't so bad after all. She had been given a comfortable Toyota, similar to one she drove when she was sixteen, and she soon remembered why she'd loved the car once she'd gotten onto the motorway. As she got further into the city, she drove past a few famous landmarks from her tourist information booklets, such as the London Eye, Big Ben and Tower Bridge, which made the journey much more enjoyable. Although she'd read more about them in the booklets, she probably would have recognised the landmarks anyway.

When she arrived at the hotel she was greeted by an enthusiastic bellhop who showed her to the check-in desk, then assisted her with her luggage. When he noticed Emily stretching in the elevator he decided to make small talk.

"Long drive?" He asked.

"Long flight" she replied.

"I see. Where're you from?"

"Philly, but I flew from D.C. I kind of just want to sleep, but I know that won't help with jet lag at all" Emily groaned. They exited the elevator and walked a few meters to the first room on the level.

"If you get out to some of the sights then you'll soon forget how tired you are. Here you go, room 901" He then handed Emily her suitcase. "Welcome to your room, If you need anything then give room service a call" He smiled and opened the door, handing Emily the key card, which had instructions for room service written in bold. "Have a nice stay. Goodbye." He said, leaving Emily to enter the large room.

She couldn't help but laugh at the size of the place. It was at least three times as big as the bedroom at home, and probably had more furniture than her whole apartment. There was a couch and two recliners placed near the TV and a small chair next to the king sized bed. She put her suitcase on the couch and threw herself onto the bed. She smiled at the feeling the huge bed gave her, as though she was a child climbing into a double bed for the first time after years of being confined to a single. She then made a snow angel while laughing at her own lunacy, and even though she felt a little bit silly doing it, she'd never felt so free.

Once she'd familiarised herself with the main room, she explored the bathroom. It was a little less impressive, but it was still superior to the one in her house. A claw footed tub ran the length of the left wall, while a marble surface ran the length of the right, with a toilet and sink set into wooden cabinets, and a shower on the far side of the room. There were two robes on the wall next to the shower, and Emily wondered if her coach had booked a double room thinking she'd have a plus one with her. She hadn't thought about bringing anyone, but she knew if she'd even mentioned someone coming with her, Hanna would have volunteered instantly since this was the exact kind of place she would love.

After showering and checking Facebook using the hotel's free Wi-Fi, Emily called her mom to let her know that she'd arrived. She told her about the flight, the room, and what she planned on doing later that day.

"Let me know if you meet any athletes!" Pam said before saying goodbye and hanging up. Emily decided to go for a venture into the city to grab some lunch and check out her home for the next week, and hopefully what will be her home again in a few months time. She carefully gathered her essentials, checking she had a wallet with pounds rather than dollars, as well as a map and her swim gear, then left her room. She made her way towards the busier area of the city, having determined that would be the best place to find a cafe. Once she'd eaten and got a healthy dose of caffeine in her system, she began her journey towards the sports complex her coach had set her up with before she came. On her way she called the physical therapist she'd been advised to visit if her shoulder was playing up, in order to let him know that she would be testing it out, and asked if he'd be around to see her briefly. He told her to pop in when she arrived and that he'd give her a rough plan for the week.

Half an hour later she arrived at the facility. She felt confident about the treatment she would receive after all of her coach's praise for this place. He'd also told her to expect to meet some competition there, because a lot of coaches he'd spoken to recommended it for other teams around the world. She tentatively walked towards the welcome desk where she introduced herself to a pleasant middle aged woman.

"Hi, I'm Emily Fields. I'm here to see Chris Hunter" Emily explained

"Ah, yes. He said you'd be here soon. Just go through that door and take the first left, take a seat there. He'll be two minutes" The woman explained, pointing Emily in the right direction. "I'm Helen, by the way. I trust we'll be seeing a lot of you" she smiled. Emily politely nodded then went through the door Helen had pointed to. The hallway was very brightly lit and covered in signed photos and shirts of sportsmen and women. Emily stopped to look at a portrait of Paula Radcliffe, then walked towards the archway she presumed was the left turn she was looking for, which led to a small waiting room. Just as she arrived, a tall, auburn haired woman left the physical therapist's room.

"See you tomorrow, Paige. Take it slow just for today, alright?" A muscular man waved from the doorway of the room.

"I will, don't worry" Paige replied, leaving the room.

The man then noticed Emily coming through the archway "Aha! You must be Emily" He said excitedly.

"That's me" She laughed, mostly at the small man's enthusiasm, but also at the way everyone seemed to know who she was, as though she'd already won a gold medal.

"I'm Chris" He said cheerfully "Well come in then, I haven't really got all day" He teased. He extended his hand as Emily approached him, which she gently shook. "So, what's the problem, other than being too hard on yourself, or so Tim has told me" He asked.

"Wait, you've spoken to my coach about me? I assumed he just booked me a membership here or something. Anyway, my shoulder's just a bit tighter than I'd like. I haven't tried to swim for a couple of days, just to see if it'll sort itself out, but I don't seem to be having much luck" She sighed.

"Well you probably need to test it first, but let me just feel it for any knots or swollenness." He said, gesturing for Emily to take a seat on his exam table. She sat at an angle with her shoulder exposed from her loose shirt. Chris carefully examined the area Emily had directed him to. He prodded for a good 10 minutes, making Emily use her arms during the process. "It feels a little but knotted, but I should be able to sort it out. I want to see how it feels for you to swim with it first though. So if you want to go and do a few slow laps then I'll be here if it's a problem. If it isn't, then you have access to me, the gym and the pool all week, so don't be a stranger.

"Alright then. Thanks a lot" she shook his hand again then left. She looked for the signs for changing facilities and found the pool from there. There were a few other people in it, but no one looked to be doing intense laps, so Emily quickly found a rhythm without feeling pressurised to compete with anyone. She didn't think her shoulder was as bad as it had been the week before, but it certainly wasn't as comfortable as she would have liked, so she did a few more laps, and then went to change again. Rather than go back to Chris today, she decided to rest tonight and try again tomorrow. In the changing room she was joined by the woman, Paige, who'd been leaving Chris' examination room when she arrived. Paige had also been swimming at the same time as Emily, but in a private-looking, barriered pool.

"Hey" Paige said when Emily arrived

"Hi" Emily replied "You're Paige, right?"

"Yeah, and you are?"

"Emily, Emily Fields" She said, smiling.

"Paige McCullers. It's nice to meet you. Did Chris sort you out earlier? The guy's a miracle worker, I swear" Paige asked.

"Not quite, but I'm going to see how I feel tomorrow. Has he helped you?"

"Yeah, I broke my collarbone last year and never thought I'd swim professionally again, but he fixed me up completely and now I'm competing and breaking personal bests and all sorts" Paige explained.

"You swim professionally?" Emily asked, picking up on what Paige said.

"Yeah. I'm actually trying to get to the Olympics this time. What with it being in London and everything"

"Wow, me too. I mean not because it's in London, just because it feels like my time, you know? Hey, this may seem a little hasty, but do you want to grab dinner or do something? I only got here today and don't really know what I'm doing or the places I should be going" Emily asked.

"Sure, it'd be my pleasure. How about the London Eye?" Paige suggested.

"That sounds perfect" Emily replied.

_**So this took a stupidly long time to write and it's probably really freaking boring, but I want to make sure I set it all up just right! I'll try and get another chapter up by next week, but with school starting I don't think I can guarantee that. Please review!**_


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